Virgin Atlantic is the First British Airlines to Introduce Mobile Connectivity in Flights

Communication has become a critical need today and people with global businesses need to be connected 24×7. You need continuous, updated information flow to be able to take quick and effective decisions or else you face the danger of being left behind as the competition in practically every field has become intense. Now with the mobile technology and satellite phones it has become possible to remain connected irrespective of your location on the earth or while you are on the move but long haul flights cut you off for a significant portion of time. The airlines were under pressure to find a solution and provide connectivity.

AeroMobile System for Upper Class Suites

Virgin Atlantic is an airline that is always working to provide better service to its elite customers. They have been in the news recently for introducing the new upper class suite on their Airbus A330 planes. They have now become the first airline in Britain to offer full mobile access in the air. Their new Upper Class Suite design comes equipped with the AeroMobile system. The new system developed for airline passengers allows them to make and receive cell phone calls in flight. The equipment and the hardware is in place but the service has not been operationalised as yet. Once the service becomes available the passengers will also be able to access web and send text messages.

All Airbus A330s to Have the Facility by Year End

This exclusive but critical service will become available first on the A330 aircrafts plying on the London to New York sector. There are 17 other A330s in their fleet servicing ten other routes. All those aircrafts will have the service by the year end. The best part is that this exclusive service does not come at exorbitant prices but will cost the same as the standard roaming charges you pay while traveling to other telecom circles. The bandwidth available for the service is limited and it will limit the number of lines available simultaneously. Only basic web access will be made available through the GPRS service. However for security resons the service will have to be switched off during takeoff and landing and also when the plane is approaching US airspace.